


Is this a date?

by Melime



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dancing, Dorks in Love, Episode Related, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Nygmobblepot Week 2017, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-10-05 11:23:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10306118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melime/pseuds/Melime
Summary: Ed arrives to dinner with a wine bottle, but Oswald finds that confessing his feelings now he isn't talking to an empty chair is harder than expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Português brasileiro available: [Isso é um encontro?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10306247) by [Melime GreenLeaf (Melime)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melime/pseuds/Melime%20GreenLeaf)



> Written for the nygmobblepot week 2017, day 2 - fluff.
> 
> Canon Divergence: no Isabella, but Ed was still late for dinner (except just by about an hour).

As Oswald found out, confessing his feelings for Ed was easier when he was talking to Olga or to an empty chair, but once he was facing the man himself, all his confidence seemed to melt away. Oswald was no coward, but he lacked experience in matters of the heart, and the one thing he feared the most was making his friend uncomfortable with unrequited feelings. He had prepared and rehearsed his speech, but as soon as Ed walked in, carrying a bottle of wine and apologizing for his tardiness, Oswald was at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Oswald, I was looking for the perfect wine and lost track of time. I hope you haven’t gave up on our dinner,” Ed said embarrassed. He knew he had a one track mind and could let himself get carried away by his perfectionist tendencies, but surely he didn’t intend to leave Oswald waiting for nearly a full hour.

Oswald melted with the sincerity of the apology, reprehending himself for fearing that Ed would stand him up. “Nonsense, of course I was waiting for you. I was just worried something might have happened to you.”

They both stood in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity, avoiding each other’s gaze.

“Shall we sit?” Oswald asked, gesturing at the table.

“Of course, may I…?” Ed didn’t wait for an answer before placing the wine on the table and pulling Oswald’s chair for him.

Oswald blushed, and thought of protesting, as used as he was to proving that he could do everything by himself, but Ed’s expression allowed no doubt that he was awkwardly trying to please him, so Oswald sat, and allowed himself to be pushed forward. “Thank you, my friend.”

Ed smiled, tight lipped, and poured Oswald the first glass of wine. “I think you’ll like this, I called Olga to ask what she would be making, and this will complement the meal nicely.”

Oswald accepted the glass, brushing his fingers on Ed’s for a brief moment as the glass was passed to him. “Thank you. You seem to have put some thought into this,” he said, for fear of letting the silence set again.

Ed looked away embarrassed, and moved to the other head of the table. “Well, I assumed this was important. You seemed to have something to tell me all day.”

Oswald swallowed, hard. This was it, this was his opening. “Yes, I did, I do, I have something I need to tell you.” He took a deep breath, quickly replaying his speech in his head, sure that he was ready to say it now. “My mother used to tell me… you see, love… well, there comes a moment… the crossroads of life… and I, well, I… uh…. courage! Yes, the importance of courage. What I’m trying to say is, one sided… no, wait, things have to be said because… there’s only one opportunity in life… and, do you understand what I’m telling you, Ed?” Well, that sounded a lot different inside his head, and the first ten times he rehearsed it that night.

Ed looked puzzled, as if Oswald was a riddle he couldn’t solve, but hadn’t given up on yet. “Well, no, Oswald, I’m not sure what you’re telling.”

Oswald sighed, closing his eyes in distress. He should have wrote down his words, or maybe recorded them so he could just play them now. Luckily, Olga came to his rescue before he could make another embarrassing attempt, bringing them their dinner.

“Nevermind, we can talk about that later. It wouldn’t be polite on our part to ignore the food Olga has so gently kept warm.” He smiled, trying to project a confidence he wasn’t feeling.

Ed looked at him worried, unsure. “Oswald, you know you can tell anything, don’t you?”

Oswald stared at those warm eyes, feeling that same warmth fill his chest. It would be so easy to say it now, it had to be, because all he felt was love. “I… you’re… for you… you’re my… I… you…” Or maybe not so easy. “The food is getting cold.”

Ed sighed, disappointed. “Yes, we wouldn’t want that to happen.”

They ate in silence, every new topic brought up quickly dying as they both desperately tried to make the evening less excruciating. By the time they reached dessert, Oswald was idly poking at his mousse, trying to find an excuse to make the dinner last long enough for him to be able to retrieve the words that had come so easily to him when he was alone.

“This is a lovely song,” Ed commented, not taking his eyes from his food.

“Uh?” Oswald hadn’t even noticed the music, even though he was the one who set it up before Ed arrived. “I suppose you’re right.”

Suddenly, Ed stood up, and walked firmly to Oswald’s side of the table. “Dance with me,” he asked, extending a hand to Oswald.

“What?” Oswald asked, panicking for a moment, even though he could feel his cheeks heating up. Ed certainly couldn’t expect him to…

Ed repeated the question, less sure this time, “I mean, would you dance with me?”

“I don’t… I can’t dance, my leg…” he said, somewhat ashamed.

Relieved that Oswald’s hesitation had nothing to do with his request having overstepped some unsaid boundaries, Ed pressed further. “I’ll guide you.”

Every ounce of good sense told him to refuse, Oswald was sure he would end up making a fool of himself, being dragged from one side to the other until Ed gave up, but the openness of the request kept him from refusing. “Very well,” he said, taking Ed’s hand and allowing him to guide him to the middle of the room. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one sweating and nervous.

“I have to,” Ed cleared his throat, and let go of Oswald’s hand, placing both of his on Oswald’s waist instead of completing his sentence.

Oswald smiled faintly. “Of course,” he said, hesitating only for a moment before placing his hands on Ed’s shoulders.

They tried move with the music, but as Oswald had feared, his limited range of movement proved to be a problem. He was about to move away when he felt Ed’s hands tightened their grip of him.

“I think,” Ed looked away, blushing almost imperceptibly, “maybe it will be easier like this.” He pulled Oswald closer, arms circling his waist, supporting some of Oswald’s weight with his body, so Oswald could move more easily on his good leg. “If that’s ok,” he concluded, half expecting Oswald to push him away.

Instead, Oswald slid his hands on Ed’s shoulders until his arms were around Ed’s neck, and he rested his head on the crook of Ed’s neck. Oswald told himself that this was no different from a hug, and grabbed on tight, allowing his body to be moved with Ed’s.

“What did you want to tell me before?” Ed whispered against his ear, sending shivers down Oswald’s spine.

Oswald shook his head without moving an inch, and said, voice muffled by Ed’s clothes, “We can talk about that later.” He didn’t want this moment to end.

Still, Ed pressed on, his curiosity too strong to be contained. “Oswald, is this… is this a date?” The question had been on his mind since Oswald invited him to dinner, which was why he was so concerned with bringing a good wine, but Oswald’s hesitation to say anything filled him with doubt.

Oswald froze in place, disconcerting their well-established rhythm. “What?” He tried, without success, to keep the shock from his voice.

Ed moved away. “I’m sorry, I’ve made a mistake, I’ll…” he moved to leave, but Oswald grabbed him by the arm.

“Wait, you didn’t… You are not mistaken, this was indeed intended to be a date, or at least an opportunity for me confess my feelings. I had a speech planned, but I found myself unable to get the words out. I wanted to make this perfect, but I suppose I was too nervous by the prospect of making you uncomfortable.”

Ed swallowed hard, and stepped closer again. “Then perhaps you should forgo the speech and just tell me what you’ve wanted to say all day. I promise you the only uncomfortable thing about tonight has been trying to navigate it without being sure of your intentions.”

Oswald took a deep breath. “I love you, Ed.” He couldn’t avoid a smile, staring helplessly at Ed, hoping that he hadn’t somehow misread the situation.

Ed lifted Oswald’s chin with a finger. It was what he had been hoping to hear. “I grow and blossom, I die and wilt. I happen in the beginning and happen in the end. I can make you cry, I can make you sad, I can make you smile and can make you brave. What am I?”

Oswald looked at him confused, and a little hurt. This didn’t seem like the time for riddles. “I don’t…”

“Love,” Ed interrupted. “I love you too, Oswald.”

Oswald’s smile grew larger, and he could feel the tears beginning to form in his eyes, so he lifted himself to meet Ed’s lips, and when that proved to not be enough, he pulled Ed down by the neck, cursing the height difference.

The kiss was sweet, although lacking in technique. Oswald didn’t know what to do at first, besides pressing his lips against Ed’s, but as Ed began to reciprocate, he tried to mimic his movements. It was far too brief, but both were breathing heavily when they parted, each looking as if they couldn’t believe their luck.

“Shall we continue our dance? The music is still playing,” Ed said, unsure as to what to do now. He had hoped for a kiss the previous night, and when Oswald hugged him, Ed convinced himself that his feelings weren’t shared. Now, he understood that he and Oswald were simply not very good when it came to expressing romantic feelings, but this was something that they could learn in time, together.

Oswald smiled as if Ed was his whole world, and at that moment, he might as well have been. “I would wish for nothing else.”

They pressed themselves close again, and Oswald was relieved to notice that his wasn’t the only heart that was racing.

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to do anything for any other day, but the feedback on the previous one that I decided to make a last minute entry for today, even though fluff isn't normally my jam. What can I say? I'm in love with their love, and the funny part is, I have four pages on an notebook filled with "could have been"s for them, and this wasn't even one of the I think three or four ways I had thought of rewriting this night.


End file.
